Porch-hand-rail support.



' T. HULETT.

PORCH HAND RAIL SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18, 1909.

Patented Feb. 15,1910.

THOMAS HULET'I, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PORGI-I-HAND-BAIL SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 18, 1909.

Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

Serial No. 472,830.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THoMAs HULETT, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Chicago, county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Porch-Hand-Rail Supports, of which the following is a specification.

My inventionrelates to a porch and rail support, and more particularly to a means for securing the rails of a porch to the posts or pillars thereof.

In the ordinary construction the hand rails are secured to the posts by toed nails, but as the joint collects moisture which eventually causes decay of the contiguous portions this means of fastening is apt to give way under strain, and is therefore unreliable and even dangerous in buildings having porches a number of stories from the ground.

The object therefore of my invention is to provide a safety fastening device or support for the hand rail of a porch which shall be inexpensive in construction and eflicient and reliable in use.

A further object of my invention is to make the support of metal and to form the same so that it may embrace the end of the rail. And a further object of my invention is to provide a positive means of support for preventing the rail from being forced outwardly. And a still further object is to provide asupport that may be used in stead of toed nails in case of repairing an old porch rail that has become weak or broken away at the joint.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

IVith these objects in view my invention consists in such a novel construction in a support as will be fully described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which,

Figure l is a side elevation of my improved rail support in its preferred form showing the application of the same to porch rails and posts. Fig. 2 is a detail elevation of the support. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the support, and Fig. 4

is a detail elevation showing the outside of the rail support, Fig. 1 being an inside view or showing the rail and support as they ap pear to a person standing on the porch.

Referring now to the drawings 1 indicates the vertical pillars or posts and 2 the horizontally disposed rails.

3 indicates the rail supports which are preferably metallic castings. The supports 3 .are similar at each end of the rail 2 except that the flange 4 is disposed on opposite sides of the same. In other words right and left supports are provided so that the flanges l may be on the inside of the posts 1, this provision being to prevent the rails from being forced outwardly.

The body portion 5 of the rail support is substantially rectangular in form and is provided with a rectangular elongated slotted portion 6 in order that the toed nail 7 may enter the post 1. One toed nail only is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, but it is clear that several may be used if so desired. The flange 4 which may be at either end of the body portion 3 is disposed perpendicular thereto, and the flange 8 011 the other side of the body portion 5 comprises a horizontally disposed portion and two vertically extending portions 9 adapted to embrace the end of the rail 2. A plurality of perforations 10 are provided in the body portion 5 in order that the same may be nailed to a post 1 as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. l. By this construction it will be seen that the body portion 5 is a continuous rigid plate with unbroken sides, thus furnishing a strong and rigid supportfor the flanges 8 and 9; that the flange 4: serves to position the body 5 and to prevent outward displacement, without marring or weakening the posts in any way and that the support and rail may be readily and durably attached without introducing large openings in the posts to gather moisture and weaken it.

lVhile I have shown what I deem to be the preferable form of my improved porch hand rail support, I do not wish to be limited to the exact form thereof as shown in the accompanying drawings, as there might be slight changes made in the shape of the same and still be within the scope of my invention.

Having described my invention what I 8 L claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a device of the class described, the combination with a post, of a body portion consisting of a flat plate provided With a cen- 13 bottom and sides of said central opening and integral With said body portion; and'a side flange adapted to take against the inside face of the post, substantially as described. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of 15,

two snbscribing witnesses.

THOMAS HULETTL Witnesses 'JosHUA R. H. Por'rs,

JANET E. HOGAN. 

